


To Capture A Heart

by Someawe45



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies), Rapunzel (Fairy Tale)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Angst and Fluff and Smut, F/F, F/M, Non-Canon Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:47:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25227781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Someawe45/pseuds/Someawe45
Summary: This is a modern Elsanna AU. Anna Kristian has just begun college, forced to leave her terminally ill mother. Her mother had one final request for Anna: live a happy life. Anna thought that finding love was not possible with the knowledge of her terminally ill mother, until she met Elsa Dahl. Little did she know, Elsa had many secrets that she keeps hidden under her icy attitude.
Relationships: Anna/Elsa (Disney), Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Comments: 7
Kudos: 23
Collections: The Elsanna Collection





	1. The Next Step

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This story contains mature themes, sexually explicit content, strong language and content that may offend.
> 
> This chapter contains mature themes, strong language and content that may offend.
> 
> We do not own any rights to Frozen nor Tangled.

"You got this. You got this. You got this." She continued to anxiously mumble the mantra to herself as she struggled to brush her copper hair in the mirror with her trembling hands. Finally, with a sigh and her hair done, she shakily placed the brush down on the marble counter before leaving the bathroom, entering her bedroom which she would see for the last time in a while. She took a moment to look at the light green walls, dark green sheets and boxes of personal belongings packed up and set on or near the door; looking at the room she had called home for the past 12 years of her life. The thought of finally leaving her house caused tears to well up in her turquoise eyes, threatening to spill out.

Suddenly, the door swung open, slammed in by her mother,who immediately wrapped her arms around Anna in a crushing, jerking bear hug. Anna pulled back after a moment and studied her mother, holding her mother's arms. Her mother had long grey hair framing her slight figure, which occasionally jerked around. Meeting her mother's tear-filled turquoise eyes, the same colour as Anna's, caused her own tears to spill forth. Anna's mother visibly struggled to swallow, a sign of her ever-worsening condition of Creutzfeldt-Jakob's disease. The doctors told Anna that her mother had 6 months left, at most. Anna offered to stay at home to help her mother, who now struggled with everyday tasks, but her mother firmly refused, encouraging Anna to live her life and start a new family without her. Anna knew that this was the last time she would probably see her mother, and these would be the last few moments she would have with what was left of her family.

"G-g-g-good luck, Annabelle," Her mother stuttered out with great difficulty. "D-d-d-don't w-worry about m-me."

Seeing her mother barely able to even coherently form a single sentence broke Anna. She hated seeing her mother like this. But most of all, she hated her thoughts of death. This was her mother, her last living family member since the passing of her father, and it tore at Anna.

"I-I could always stay with you. I can go to college a-after you get bet...bet-" Anna began, but once again the idea of losing her mother was too much for her and she couldn't even finish her sentence before collapsing to the floor in tears. "I-I-I can't mom. You're _all_ I have l-left and I just can't stand leaving you a-alone."

Anna's mother clutched at her own chest with sorrow when she saw how distraught and upset Anna was. It felt like her heart was shattering, seeing her only daughter being forced to try to build a life after both her parents have died. It was unfair to her. So, in an effort to try and comfort her daughter, she sat down on the ground with her daughter before pulling her into another hug, but this one wasn't as strongly gripped or jerky, it was soft and tender. But mostly, there were no sudden jerks in movement. The hug was one given by caring mothers who are trying to soothe their child, just like how Anna's mother used to hold Anna when she was younger.

"Anna…" Idunna began, taking a deep breath in order to try and fight off both tears and any difficulty in speaking. "I know it will be...hard. But...I can't _ever_ ask you to...stay with me. Especially since my...condition will only get worse as time...moves forward. I l-...love you Anna. I always will. But my...time is over. It is now time for you to build a life for yours-s-self. Get m-married. Build a f-family. But _never_ look back and think you could have done something. Y-you will only make yourself...miserable. And I would _never_ be able to forgive mys-self if you saw me, n-near d-dead and j-just grasping for l-life. So please, go to the college, find someone who makes you happy and b-build something for yourself."

When Idunna was finished, her turquoise eyes had relinquished the tears she had been saving for after Anna left. Idunna looked at her daughter for what could possibly be the final time in her life, and she tucked a stray strand of copper hair behind Anna's ear as she cried into her mother's shoulder.

Anna and her mother stayed in that position for several minutes, Idunna quietly shushing her daughter's sobs before they broke apart in order to make sure Anna arrived at the campus on time. After standing up and wiping any excess tears away, Anna began to walk towards the boxes in order to start moving them into her vehicle, but Idunna carefully grabbed her arm and turned her back towards her mother.

"Annabelle…" Idunna reached behind her neck, unclasping the necklace she was wearing and held it out to her daughter. "Take this. Y-y-your father b-bought me this n-n-n-necklace j-just after you w-w-w-were born. H-h-he had our n-names carved o-o-onto it alongside p-putting a f-f-f-few family p-p-photos in t-there." Anna was shocked at the gesture. She opened her mouth, but her mother did not give her the chance to speak. She placed the necklace, silver etched with a snowflake design, on Anna's palm and closed her fingers around it. "Keep it, Alexandra. It won't be useful in my hands anymore."

"T-thank you mom. I will always wear it and cherish it." Anna replied, wrapping the necklace around her neck, smiling shakily before she rose, helping her mother stand as well. She faced her mother and pulled her into a gentle embrace, whispering to her. "Be strong, mother. You _will_ get better."

Idunna didn't have the heart to tell Anna that it was very likely she wasn't going to survive her disease. As a result, she resorted to smiling into the hug before pulling away, ushering Anna to begin moving her belongings into the vehicle in order to head to the college.

Anna followed as she was silently instructed, taking box after box towards her snow white Honda Accord, settling them in the trunk. During the process, no words were exchanged and Anna knew why. There was less than a 15 percent chance that her mother would actually make it through this trying point in time. But she had to be strong, for both herself and her mother, so she only turned to her mother to give her one final hug before she would leave her.

"I promise I will visit whenever I can." Anna stated as her mother only nodded and gently kissed her forehead before releasing her.

Anna's mind dashed through terrifying thoughts on what might happen to her mother. _Will she really be okay? What if she gets really hurt? Should I go back?_ All types of scenarios played out in her mind and forced her to question herself and the world, the only comfort she had at this time was the small, snowflake engraved pendant which she rubbed the pad of her thumb over. More questions rang through her head like The Press at a major event. She didn't realize how deep she was in thought until she was jarred by the sound of the car behind her honking.

As she drove, she kept the pendant in her hand, her fingers running over it frequently in order to try and prevent any breakdowns that would occur. Unfortunately, it couldn't stop all of them and with the incessant barrage of questions her mind procured, she broke. She forced herself to pull to the side of the road as a method of making sure she didn't create an accident as she was driving. By the time she had stopped the car, she was sobbing heavily and she had no one to hold her or show her love and sympathy. The only sympathy she received was the wind as cars sped by.

She continued to cry, clutching the steering wheel and the necklace, both to keep her steady and as a method of comfort. Both ended up failing her and she sat in her car for what seemed like forever, crying to no avail.

"I-I'm so sorry mom." She whispered to herself through the tears, hoping that maybe her mother would hear and forgive her. The phrase was uttered multiple times, to great extent, as her sobbing continued.

It wasn't until her seemingly unending fountain of tears began to dry up that she realized how long she had sat on the side of the road. Shakily, she took a deep breath, trying to steady herself to begin driving again. While at first, her thoughts had seemed hazy and it took her a small amount of time in order to get the car started again, she finally managed to get back on the road and finish her trip to the college.

No words came from Anna during the first half of the drive, only the sounds of slight hiccups and sharp inhales. But as she neared Arendelle University, she finally spoke again, whispering to herself and giving a small, make-do 'pep talk'.

"Come on Anna. You are better than this. You are so much stronger and so is your mother, yet you have so little faith that she will recover from this. Where is the belief in your mother? Because, if you aren't strong, then how can she be strong? So no more crying. Save your tears for her recovery. And smile. Don't lose your cheerful and candid attitude just because of some percentage. So you've got this Anna. Just be strong."

As she finished her 'speech' to herself, she had arrived at the campus and began to drive to the student and open parking so that she could start the process of moving into her dorm room, and mentally kicked herself for the delay as she observed the seemingly endless streams of cars entering and leaving the university. It took about ten minutes but she finally found a parking spot that wasn't too far from her dormitory but still not close enough that it was going to be easy to move all of her belongings. The University of Arendelle campus was beautiful, but Anna was too distracted to look at the scenery.

As she parked the car, she sat in silence for a while, contemplating everything that had happened recently. Her mind flitted through thoughts, both good and bad, but she always focused the most on the worst thoughts and how she blamed herself for her mother's condition. She began to cry again, her brain seemingly enforcing the idea that what was happening to her mother was her fault and that she was to blame, but she had cried most of the day and no tears fell from her face. More time passed and she had finished crying dry tears, now thinking that she had no place at the college and should leave. But before she could turn the key in the ignition, a soft knock rapped against her window, causing her to jump and turn to see who was knocking.

At the sight of the face of the knocker, Anna's own face went wide with shock before she quickly wiped away her tears and gathered herself to make it seem like nothing had happened. By the time she was finished, the person had walked to the passenger side of the vehicle and had opened the door, sitting down in the seat before closing the door and turning to Anna.

"Anna, what is going on?" The now visibly blonde female questioned, worry interlaced between every word. Anna stared at her, trying to look confused, curious to know what she was talking about. Deep down, Anna knew exactly what the blonde was asking and took a deep breath, unsure of where to begin or even if she should tell her what was going on. Then the blonde continued. "Anna, please tell me. What is going on? You know there is nothing you need to keep secret from me. I mean, we're best friends for fucks sake! We've been together for almost as long as we've been alive" She took a deep breath before continuing. "Anna...I can tell something is going on. Your eyes are red and puffy, you look like you've hardly gotten any sleep, and you look like you are on the verge of doing something you will regret for the rest of your life. It breaks my heart to see you like this. And if anything happens to you, I would never forgive myself for not trying to do something. So, don't you dare say 'I'm fine' because we both know that you are not!"

"Punz...I feel like I am being torn apart. Everything is terrible and going to shit." Anna told Rapunzel after a brief moment, whom she had always called Punz since they became friends. At Anna's comment, Rapunzel's eyes widened and her hands clenched together at her chest. Anna was known to never use profanity and had definitely never used it around her. So, hearing her use even one form of profanity worried her more than anything else in the world. Immediately, she pulled Anna into a tender hug, holding her close to her body as a method to try and comfort her. Anna buried her face into Punz's shoulder, sobs wracking her body as she struggled to find her words. Her mind began to wonder and she recalled a similar scene when she first met Punz.

* * *

_They were in grade school together, neither one that old, roughly 10 years ago. During their free period, Anna noticed a group of kids, pressuring a shy girl about her hair, making snide comments about its length and unnaturally yellow blonde color. So, due to her inability to let bullying slide, Anna walked over to the group and defended the girl, speaking about how beautiful her hair color was and that it didn't matter how long it was. She proceeded to then raise a fist to show that she wasn't afraid to fight them, leading the group to back down and walk away, leaving Anna with the blonde._

" _T-thank you." The girl acknowledged, instantly charging into Anna for a hug as a few tears fell. Anna let her be, partly due to shock, but mostly because she knew what it was like to have a feature of yourself made fun of. Being a redhead with freckles wasn't easy and she got bullied when she was younger. Finally, Anna wrapped her arms around the small girl, holding her close before releasing her as she began to talk again. "I've never had anyone stand up to those meanies before. I don't have any friends because of them so they can get away with anything. So, thank you for helping me."_

" _No friends?! Impossible! How can you not have any friends? Even with those jerks saying mean things? Well it doesn't matter. Because I will be your best friend. We'll go on adventures and we'll fly spaceships and we'll get to live in a castle!" Anna declared triumphantly, striking a pose which was meant to look like she was raising a sword to the sky, but ended up looking terribly goofy. The sight of Anna's 'victory pose' brought a chuckle out from the girl, instantly lifting her spirits. Anna noticed the smile the girl had formed during her pose and held it for a few seconds longer before turning back to her, sticking out her hand. "I'm Anna by the way. What's your name?"_

" _Rapunzel." The blonde answered meekly, the smile dissipating from her face._

" _That's a cool name! Though I doubt I will be able to remember it. So, how about I call you Punz?" Anna questioned, her enthusiasm bringing life back into Rapunzel's smile._

" _Sure thing bestie." Rapunzel stated hesitantly, unsure if she should call Anna 'bestie' yet or not, but her smile never faltered or wavered._

* * *

The memory brought a slight smile to Anna's face, only for it to fade when the thoughts of her mother struck her. Finally, she pulled away from Punz's embrace, unable to keep her thoughts to herself.

"Punz, mom is d-dying. She has something called 'CJD' disease or something. But we can't stop it. _I_ can't stop it. And I know it's all my fault! It has to have been...right?" Anna looked at Rapunzel, her eyes blaming and questioning, blaming nothing and no one else except herself and questioning if it's true. "H-how can I...How can I live knowing it was my fault? What if she does blame me, Punz? She...she's my mom and was my rock. She was my su-supporter, my cheerleader, and my guide. She means everything to me. And now she is leaving me! She is my only family Punz. And I've been trying to be strong, but I can't. Once she's gone there will be nothing for me and I will be lost."

Rapunzel's heart broke at Anna's statement and accusations. "Anna, look at me." Rapunzel said, shaking Anna lightly when she refused to meet her gaze, forcing Anna to meet Rapunzel's eyes. "There is no way that what happened to your mother is your fault. It just happened. It sucks, I know, seeing a loved one suffer or being on death's door and being unable to do anything to help them. But this is not your fault. You are not responsible for your mother's choices, and you are definitely not responsible for your mother getting CJD."

"Only her imminent death." Anna sobbed quietly as she broke her eye contact with Rapunzel, guilt and grief plaguing her heart and mind.

Rapunzel shook Anna again, harder this time. "Hey… HEY!" Rapunzel said, almost shouting angrily. "This feeling of powerlessness and anger is normal, but don't let it weigh you down. Let it be your motivation. You want to honor your mom's memory? Go live a happy life for yourself because she worked incredibly hard and sacrificed so much for it! So stop fucking blaming yourself for things out of your control and start taking control of things you _can_ control!"

Anna met Rapunzel's gaze again, shocked at her outburst. Rapunzel's eyes were red, brimming with tears of her own and her blonde eyebrows were scrunched in anger. Anna looked down, again breaking eye contact. While guilt and grief still plagued her heart, determination emerged in her heart like an ember. She buried her face into her friend's shoulder again, but this time, no more tears spilled from her eyes. _You got this. You got this. You got this._ Anna mentally thought to herself, and when she finally pulled away, her face hardened into resolve. "Thanks. I needed that." Anna said genuinely, before remembering why she was here. "Oh! Can you help me move my stuff? It's going to be difficult for me to do alone."

"Of course! Where is your residence?" Rapunzel said, smiling.

"Oh… um, let me see." Anna quickly pulled out her phone and opened the email. "Um, unit 21A in… Northuldra Forest?"

"Oh wow, it seems like we are sharing our residence. I'm in unit 21B. It's a really nice place, well, as nice as dorms go."

Anna squinted at the email. "It says that it's a 'premium apartment style'… wait, we get our own separate bedrooms AND a living area AND our own kitchen? For just the two of us?" Anna's jaw dropped in amazement. It was indeed a really nice place.

"Yup. We are lucky to get it. Rumours say that this type of residence always fills up first. Unfortunately, we still have to share a bathroom, but at least it's only between the two of us." Punz said, reflecting Anna's excitement. Then with a mischievous glint, she said, "The kitchen is good for you to impress any pretty ladies you bring back to the dorm."

" _Ohmygosh_ stop it!" Anna said, flustered. "I regret making you those chocolate truffles." Anna said jokingly.

"And I hate you even more for making me addicted to them." Punz teased. "Store-bought truffles taste like shit compared to the ones you made."

With a sigh, Anna realized that they should start moving her stuff. "I hate to bring this up, but we really need to move my stuff."

"Fine, we'll continue this later." Anna and Rapunzel walked to the back of Anna's Civic and popped open the trunk, only for an avalanche of items to fall out. Acting instantaneously, they both caught armfuls of items before they could hit the ground. They gently set down the items and looked around for any stray items, noting that the items that they failed to catch were undamaged, albeit scattered around the rear of her car. Suddenly, Anna realized that her underwear somehow escaped her suitcase and one pair of panties were now stuck to Rapunzel's shirt, on her chest. Anna quickly grabbed the hot pink panties and shoved them into the nearest box. Both of them glanced at each other for a brief moment before bursting into laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someawe45- Hi guys, hope you enjoyed the first chapter of our story. This story is a collab between myself (u/someawe45) and a fellow Elsanna redditor RiasSenpaiBae (u/RiasSenpaiBae). Rias posted an excerpt on r/Elsanna and was looking for someone to help him write the story, and together, we bring this story to you. I strongly suggest checking out the excerpt as well as checking out the r/Elsanna subreddit. As usual, feedback and criticism is appreciated.


	2. First Sight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This story contains mature themes, sexually explicit content, strong language and content that may offend.
> 
> This chapter contains content that may offend.

Anna's belongings were quickly moved into her dorm room, and everything she needed, from her laptop to her lamp, even a printer, which was bought by Anna's mom at her mom's insistence. Her clothes were quickly hung up in the closet and her undergarments were stuffed in the drawers below her bed. With some difficulty, Anna and Punz were able to fit the mattress cover over the surprisingly heavy mattress and easily laid out the sheets.

Someone knocked on the door to their residence. "Just a reminder that orientation starts in 2 hours!" A voice called out.

"Ugh. Orientation." Punz groaned. "Time for some embarrassingly cringy 'icebreakers' and group activities."

"It can't be _that_ bad, right?" Anna asked, feeling slightly offended. Anna actually enjoyed these activities.

"Well, you might enjoy it. You've always been a social butterfly." Punz said.

Anna's stomach growled. "Wanna go grab something to eat?"

"They will be providing food during the orientation. It's probably gonna be pizza." Punz said. "But if you don't wanna wait for another 3 hours, we can go get some snacks from the nearby convenience store."

"Let's go. I don't think I can wait that long."

Half an hour later, Anna and Punz sat in the living room, sharing a family sized chocolate bar and a 2 liter bottle of cola. Punz brought out her laptop and together they played some random browser game until orientation.

"Orientation begins in 5 minutes!" A voice called from outside, sounding like it came through a megaphone. "Meet in the lawn in the center."

"Let's get going! I can't wait to meet everyone!" Anna said excitedly.

"Ugh, fine. Just let me put my laptop back." Punz said, carrying her laptop to her room. A brief moment later, someone knocked on the door to their dorm.

"I've got it!" Anna called as she opened the door, revealing a tall handsome man with long black hair. "Flynn?" Anna asked in disbelief.

Flynn was Rapunzel's boyfriend since the 2nd year of high school. At first, it seemed like your average high school relationship; date, break up, date someone else, break up, get back together, break up one last time, end the year. But it was different. When they got together, something just clicked between them, forming an inseparable bond between the two. Which leads to now, Flynn and Rapunzel are going to the same college and are still together.

"Hey Flynn. How's it goi…" Anna began before Rapunzel barreled through her and jumped into Flynn's arms, kissing him passionately. Anna chucked softly and averted her eyes, giving the two lovers a moment of privacy. After a few moments, Anna decided that she had to intervene.

"I hate to ruin your moment, but we really should get going." Anna said, smiling.

Punz pouted. "You're right." Punz said, defeated. Then she spoke to FLynn. "Guess we'll continue this later?"

"I'll hold you to that." Flynn said with a small chuckle as the three headed out to the central lawn. They walked towards the center lawn, which had a loose circle of people standing around two "residence dons" as they were known. Scanning the crowd, Anna saw two more familiar faces.

"Kristoff! Sven!" Anna rushed over and embraced them both in a hug. Kristoff and Sven stumbled backwards, caught off guard and after a brief moment, returned the embrace. Flynn and Punz quickly joined in the group hug.

Anna knew Kristoff from high school and wherever Kristoff was, Sven was close by. Anna knew that Kristoff was being watched by pros and was going to post-secondary to improve his chances at being drafted into the NFL. His best friend Sven isn't being watched, but together, no one could beat the duo in football, and the reputation that they earned was enough to have a small group of fans following them around. Kristoff had actually tried to date Anna at one point, only for him to realise, quite awkwardly, that Anna wasn't interested in him. In fact, Anna wasn't interested in any guy and after the question of Anna's sexual orientation was cleared up, Kristoff and Anna decided to remain friends. It was awkward in the beginning of their new friendship, but miraculously, they managed to push through and have remained very good friends since.

A siren sounded from the megaphone, instantly quieting the crowd. "First thing's first. My name is Ryder Nattura, and I am your residence don. " He spoke loudly without using his microphone, his voice ringing out through the crowd. "We will have residence meetings every other Tuesday. My residence number is 14, should you need me, and my class schedule is posted on the door. Attendance _will_ be recorded, and I will send all of you emails on the day before each meeting to let you guys know."

The rest of the night passed by in a blur. There were so many activities that Anna wasn't sure she could keep up with them all. Let alone remember the rules to each one. There was dodgeball (in which Kristoff and Sven absolutely demolished everyone) some embarrassing singing mascot moments, and even a bit of charades. But surprisingly, even to herself, she managed to make it through the night with little help from Kristoff or Rapunzel.

As Anna peeled off her sweaty clothes and showered, her mind began to wander to her mother again. Anna clasped a hand over her mouth and desperately tried to hold back her sobs as she imagined her mother's solitude. She turned off the water, dried herself off, and changed into her sleepwear. Anna crawled into bed and drifted off into a fitful sleep.

Anna woke up the next morning to the sun blaring in her eyes. She checked her phone: 8:00 AM, and with a groan, she got out of bed and prepared for class, which would start an hour later. Anna changed into a simple t-shirt and jeans, then opened the door and found Punz cooking up a storm in the living room, the mouth-watering scent of pancakes flooding Anna's senses.

"Rise and shine, bestie!" Punz said. "We gotta start off our first day of classes right, so I took the liberty of making us breakfast!"

"You didn't have to!" Anna exclaimed, her jaw dropping.

"I wanted to. Go comb your hair, Anna." Punz said, trying not to laugh.

Anna self-consciously reached for her hair, only to realise that she probably had a horrendous bed-head. Anna scrambled into the bathroom and braided her hair into twin braids, brushed her teeth, and washed her face.

Anna joined Punz at the table, Punz carrying a large plate overflowing with stacks of pancakes. Anna laughed as one pancake slipped and fell onto the floor before Punz could set the plate down on the table. Punz pouted, picked up the fallen pancake, and whipped it into the trash can on the other side of the room. The pancake thankfully went into the trash can before it exploded into a million pieces on impact with the trash can wall, which rested against the far wall of the kitchen.

"So, Anna," Punz said cheerfully. "What class do you have?"

"Art in AH-302 at 9:00" Anna said after consulting her schedule. "Wherever that is."

"Wait, really?" Punz asked, incredulous. Anna nodded. "Me too. Arendell Hall is not too far from here, we can go together, and I can spare you the embarrassment of getting lost and being late."

"It was only that one time!" Anna said, her face reddening from embarrassment.

"That one time in grade 9 first semester, grade 10 second semester, or…" Punz stopped as Anna jokingly threw a piece of pancake at her face.

"Shut up." Anna said playfully, then looked at the time, her eyes widening.

Punz followed her gaze, until her eyes rested on the clock. 8:45. "Shit! We have to go!"

The two grabbed their backpacks and ran down the busy streets of Arendelle, somehow arriving in a record time of 5 minutes later. Punz and Anna quickly found a seat in the middle row of the mostly empty lecture hall and struggled to catch their breath. They vaguely noticed the short, severe-looking man on the podium with a light grey English-style moustache and thinning light grey hair.

"Are… you… sure…" Anna panted. "We… are in… the right… classroom?"

Punz nodded. "I've… checked."

At 9:00 on the dot, a tall girl with long platinum-blonde hair done in a single braid walked into the classroom. Anna noticed that the man at the podium cast a disapproving look at the blonde, which the blonde met, and after a brief moment, the man looked away. The blonde turned towards Anna's general direction and studied the empty seats.

Anna studied the blonde's face. She had pale skin, rosy cheeks, cherry-red lips, purple eyeshadow and bright blue eyes. She was wearing an olive green t-shirt and black leggings that hugged her slender legs and rear. Anna caught herself staring and looked away, feeling heat rising to her cheeks. When she decided that the coast was clear, she snuck another look at the blonde, realising that she sat in the front corner of the classroom, the last place perhaps anyone would want to sit.

"Good morning, everyone!" The man speaking had a rather squeaky voice. "Welcome to ARC 100, Drawing and Representation 1. I am Professor Weselton and I'll be your professor for this course." Anna caught a few whispers and snickers from nearby students. _Professor Weasel_ said many. "Unfortunately, you will not be painting anyone like Jack's French girls in the Titanic." Some awkward laughter filled the brief pause, before he continued. "Please pull out the course syllabus and follow along. If you do not have the syllabus printed, just this once you may follow along on your electronic devices."

The professor began to drone on about "academic honesty" occasionally leveling disapproving glances at the blonde, who followed along on a printed document oblivious to the glances, or making crude jokes. Anna vaguely registered the professor's words, which sounded like they were a million miles away. Her thoughts were about the blonde sitting in the corner. She was thinking about talking to her. Seeing her smile. Seeing her laugh. She imagined the blonde's bright blue eyes staring at her, imagining the feel of her hand in Anna's, imagining the feel of her lips on Anna's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someawe45- Hello everyone. I would like to apologise for our lack of activity, but life got in the way and we were unable to spare a lot of time to write this chapter. Things have cooled down a bit and we should be able to regularly publish chapters. Also, sorry that this chapter is a bit short, as we had difficulties writing this chapter, mainly due to lack of real-life experience, and we intended for this chapter to be a filler chapter as well. Thank you for your patience, and we promise that the following chapters will definitely start picking up the pace of Anna and Elsa's relationship. As usual, feedback and criticism is appreciated.
> 
> RiasSenpaiBae- Hello as well. Just like Someawe45, I would like to apologise for the lack of uploads or updates on what is going on. But life struck us hard. And we, luckily, are a lot less crammed and have a chance to work on this story. I'm just hoping that we are able to satisfy and achieve the quality I imagine. But even through the toughest times, I hope you (the reader) will continue to persevere through it with us. Thank you for reading and we will try to get chapter 3 out to you as soon as we can. As usual, we accept feedback and criticism. But I would like to clarify, if you have nothing good (or helpful) to say, don't say it. Just leave and find another fic.


	3. Blooming Flower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This story contains mature themes, sexually explicit content, strong language and content that may offend.
> 
> This chapter contains suggestive themes and content that may offend.
> 
> A/N at the end.

Anna continued to daydream through the rest of the class, her fantasies solely focused on the blonde that had captured her thoughts from the beginning of class. It wasn't until her new-found crush had begun to gather her belongings and leave the room that Anna was snapped out of her daydream.

As Anna frantically searched around the room for any sign of the woman who had ensnared her attention, worried that if she didn't find her, she would never see her again. As she continued to scan the room, the flow of students leaving the room and the ones that were talking to the professor, a sharp stabbing pain quickly coursed through her side before disappearing just as quickly.

"OW!" Anna yelped before suddenly spinning on the balls of her feet to look at Punz, who was on her knees, seemingly struck by hysteria from something. Anna knew exactly what, or who, she was laughing at and glared at her like a mother glaring at a child. "That wasn't funny Punz. And what was that jab for anyways?"

Punz slowly stood back up, trying to catch her breath in between small chuckles as she did. Finally, Punz began, "Well, firstly, you seemed to have missed the entirety of the class from the moment class began. I mean, you didn't take any notes. You always take notes! Then, once class ends, you begin to look around the classroom as if you had just lost a wedding ring or something. Anna, I have known you since-"

"Since elementary school. I know." Anna sighed dejectedly. "I was distracted."

"Saw something you liked?" Punz asked, smiling teasingly. "Or someone?"

Anna blushed. "No" she lied. "Just thinking about…" she gestured vaguely at no particular thing in the classroom. She was fortunately saved by the loud growling of both their stomachs. "Ugh, how about lunch first?"

"Fine. We'll eat first, but don't expect me to forget about this during lunch." Punz said as they gathered up their own items and left the lecture hall. As they neared the cafeteria, Punz's phone rang. Anna caught a glimpse of the caller ID, Flynn Rider, before Punz picked it up. Anna caught a few "yeah"s and "Uh-huhs" before she hung up. "Sorry, but Flynn asked me out and…"

"Don't worry about me. Go enjoy your date." Anna said, relieved that Punz wouldn't be grilling her about who/what was distracting her.

"Don't think I've forgotten." Punz said over her shoulder as she walked back to the exit.

Anna grabbed a slice of pepperoni pizza and a chilled can of cola before scanning the cafeteria for a seat. She looked around, realising that the cafeteria was almost filled to the brim with people, and empty seats were nowhere to be found. Anna spotted an empty seat near the edge of the cafeteria and quickly rushed over, placing her tray down on the table before she mentally kicked herself. "Is this seat taken?" She asked the person sitting across from her. Anna looked up, and instantly, her jaw dropped. It was the blonde from her class, the one she fantasized kissing, the one she fantasized… _Woah there! Not here, not now!_

The blonde glanced up at Anna, and simply pointed her chin at the seat in some sort of assent for Anna to sit, then resumed writing notes in a notebook, a fancy laptop open beside it, along with a half-eaten sandwich. Anna clumsily sat down, shaking the table and knocking over her unopened can of soda which rolled towards the blonde, before falling off the table beside her. Anna's eyes widened as the soda dropped over the edge, but the blonde deftly caught it with her left hand before the sofa could hit the ground and set it on the table, placing it beside Anna's slice of pizza without looking away from her notes. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I swear, I'm eternally clumsy. I hope I didn't bother you with that potential soda-grenade or anything. I mean, I would have died if any of the soda got on you or your notes or laptop or t-shirt. It would probably stain, right? Oh boy. What if it doesn't come out? Or what if your shirt shrinks? I could pay for it… probably. It looks expensive though so I would probably have to use my college money and mom wouldn't…" Anna snapped her mouth shut, her cheeks reddening. "I'm sorry. I tend to ramble when I get nervous."

The blonde glanced at Anna again. "First year?" Anna nodded. "Don't worry. It gets better." She said sympathetically.

Anna smacked her palm against her forehead. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Anna." she stated as she extended her hand out to the blonde. Thankfully, her rambling caused her to momentarily forget about the slice of pizza she had bought, leaving her hands grease and oil free. The blonde firmly grasped Anna's hand as she shook it, surprising her with both the firmness of her grip, and the coldness of her hand. The blonde's hand felt as smooth as she imagined it.

"Elsa." The blonde replied before returning to her notes, reading them over, then closing her laptop and putting it away in her bag.

"I'm sorry, considering that we just met and all, but can I borrow your notes? I got distracted and barely heard a thing professor Weaseltown said." Anna quickly said as she realized Elsa was putting away her notes.

Elsa hesitated for a moment before sliding Anna her notebook, showing the 5 pages of notes that she wrote.

Anna took out her phone and quickly snapped pictures of the beautifully handwritten notes, which were even colour-coded. After she made sure that the text in each picture was clearly legible, Anna put her phone away. "Thanks. You have beautiful handwriting." Anna commented.

"Thank you." Elsa said politely once she swallowed the bite of sandwich.

 _Come on Anna! Think!_ Anna racked her brain for something to say to keep the conversation going. "What year are you in?" _Lame!_ Anna mentally kicked herself again.

"3rd. I'm majoring in Architecture and minoring in Art." Elsa replied.

"But ARC 100 is a first-year course…" Anna blurted out, confused.

"Many upper-year students take first-year courses. I had a logistics problem with my schedule, and I can only attend this class right now, in my 3rd year. It's not ideal, but it will allow me to graduate with the rest of my classmates." Elsa clarified. "What are you studying?"

"Psychology… for now." Anna said self-consciously. "I don't know what I want to do in the future… I may end up switching."

"Don't be afraid to. University is all about trying new things and finding out what you like." Elsa said encouragingly. Anna smiled and blushed at Elsa's comment, thinking back to her fantasies and _what_ she liked. Immediately, Anna mentally berated herself for falling back into those fantasies before returning to the conversation.

"The only thing I know for sure is that I want to do is help people, but I don't know how. I thought that psychology would be the best route to go in order to help rehabilitate and talk with others who need help, but I'm so unsure. I can't seem to imagine myself anywhere, doing anything, or helping anyone. And that scares me the most, not being there to help people. There are so many people in the world who need help but are unable to find it." Anna replied, her eyes beginning to water from thoughts of her mother and being unable to help.

"Are you alright?" Elsa asked as she reached into her bag and pulled out a to-go packet of tissues. She took one out and handed it to Anna, which she took and began dabbing at her eyes.

"Not really." Anna admitted. "It's just… It's all overwhelming." Anna lied. She didn't feel comfortable sharing her own guilt about her mother. "Being so far away from home, you know?"

"I don't." Elsa said tensely.

"Wait, what?" Anna asked, shocked. "You don't miss your home? Your family?"

"I've never had the best relationship with my parents. So after I left, I've never looked back."

Immediately, Anna decided to drop the subject due to the fear of ruining a blooming relationship. Neither said a word, too caught up in their own worlds of familial pain to speak. The pregnant silence slowly became stagnant and awkward, until a wide-eyed boy with short brown hair enveloped Elsa in a hug. "Hi Elsa!"

"Olaf!" Elsa chided with a smile, seeming to forget the previous conversation. "How are you?"

"Oh I'm just living the dream." Olaf said cheerily, sighing blissfully before turning towards Anna, his arms still outstretched and seeming to refuse to lower them until their needs were satisfied. "Hi, I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs."

Awkwardly, Anna unfurled her own arms and met the almost snowman-esque male, due to his shirt, pants, jacket, and even shoes being snow white, in a soft but cautious hug. That was until he pulled Anna closer to him, encapsulating her in a bear-like hug. Elsa giggled slightly at the sight of Olaf pushing the boundaries of what he would be able to get away with when it came to the new freshman. Finally, Olaf released his grip on Anna and let her get back to her now cold slice of pizza before sitting down next to Elsa.

"Um...I'm Anna." Anna stated, before officially taking her first bite of the pizza she had bought. Immediately, Anna groaned at the cold and slightly harder dough of the pizza, setting it down in a fit of mock sadness. "Hey Olaf, do you think you could use some of those warm hugs you love so much to reheat my pizza? I don't like the taste of cold pizza, which is surprising since I love ice cream and a lot of other cold products and foods."

Olaf burst out laughing at Anna's joking request, Elsa letting out another small set of giggles behind her hand as well. Anna, stunned with confusion tilted her head. "What is so funny? Is there something on my face?" Anna questioned, the answer to her question still eluding her.

Finally Olaf spoke, not to Anna or to answer her question, but towards Elsa. "I must say Els, I was worried you may not find anyone, but man. You sure know how to pick them. I mean, with jokes like that, she's a keeper." He commented, a visible blush appearing on both Anna and Elsa's faces as the laughter died in an instant. Anna turned to Elsa to ask what he meant but was promptly silenced as they locked eyes before Elsa speedily turned away.

"I...I should probably go. I have a class I need to go to." Elsa stated as she packed up the rest of her belongings and left the table, Olaf following suit behind her shortly after.

Anna looked at her watch, 2:00 pm. _Ugh, I still have an hour before my next class. I hope Punz isn't in the dorm. Otherwise I will have to either listen to a story about her and Flynn, or she will question me about earlier in class. And after lunch, I won't be able to handle that. I've got too much on my mind._

Anna stood in front of her dorm room door, listening for any signs that Punz may be back from her date, only to be greeted with silence. Smiling, Anna opened the door and entered the dorm, settling on the sofa in order to occupy her time before her next class at 3:00. Anna's thoughts once again drifted to Elsa, Olaf's voice echoing in her mind. _Is Elsa gay? Like me?_ Anna wondered, but quickly shot down the idea in the fear of getting her hopes up for nothing. _She certainly seemed to be close to Olaf. Are they together?_ Anna found herself saddened at the thought that Elsa was not looking for a relationship. _Get it together! You don't know that for sure!_ Anna sighed and decided to pass the time by browsing social media. She suddenly got a message in a group chat.

[Dinner together?] _Kristoff_.

[Flynn and I are in.] _Punz._

[Great! How about u, Anna?] _Kristoff._ Anna began typing out her refusal when Punz's private message came in.

[don't think i've forgotten]

Anna sighed in defeat, deleted her previous unsent response, and instead typed in [sounds great. C u soon :)]

[Great! I'll send you the details later.] _Kristoff_

[ive gotta get to class. Bye!]

Anna prepared for class and left the dorm, all without getting spotted by Punz. Elsa wasn't in any of her other classes. Anna sighed as her last class of the day ended. Whether it was relief or disappointment, Anna couldn't tell. Anna absentmindedly began to pack her belongings, her mind once again drifting to Elsa. Her thoughts were interrupted by a message from the group chat. [Meet in the cafeteria. 6:30.] Anna checked the time: 6:00, and rushed out of the classroom. Anna bought her food and quickly slid into the seat next to Punz at 6:30 on the dot.

"Someone document this moment!" Kristoff said jokingly. "Anna's on time for once!"

"Shut up." Anna blushed in embarrassment as the group laughed. The group began to talk about their day, but as they talked, shared jokes, and laughed, their voices began to fade into the background as Anna's thoughts drifted to the blonde from earlier today. Once again, she retreated to her fantasies, and continued to think about the feel of the blonde's hands on her body, her lips on Anna's.

"What do you think, Anna?" Flynn asked, snapping Anna out of her thoughts.

"I'm sorry, what was the question?" Anna asked, shaking her head to clear her thoughts, vaguely realising that she was probably flustered.

"Are you alright, Anna?" Kristoff asked, concerned. "You seem distracted."

"I was thinking…" Anna said, before quickly changing her mind. "Nevermind."

"Don't think I've forgotten, Anna." Punz warned.

"Ugh, fine." Anna said self-consciously. "I am a bit distracted with…" Anna gestured at seemingly everything in the room.

"I heard about your mom." Flynn said reassuringly. "I'm sorry."

Grateful for the escape, Anna quickly replied "Thank you." The group's conversation quieted as the somber news sank in. Punz narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Anna's relief, but she decided not to pry. "How were your classes?" Anna asked, trying to lift everyone's moods.

"Well… I fell asleep halfway through math, so there's that." Kristoff said sheepishly. "Thankfully, Sven woke me up and prevented me from making a fool of myself."

"I know right?" Flynn said. "I swear that Professor Kaldong is a robot. He legit speaks in a robotic monotone. How about you, Anna?"

"I have professor Weaselton for Art with Punz in the morning. It was… uhh… weird." Anna said as she struggled to remember what happened in the class.

"Nice." Kristoff said. "It helps to have someone you know in class."

"Ugh. Prof Weasel." Punz said. "I'm surprised that people laugh at his offensive jokes. He seems like the 'weird uncle' of university professors."

"What's his deal with Elsa?" Anna blurted out. "I think he gave her a 'what are you doing here?' glare the moment she walked into the classroom."

"Who?" Kristoff asked, confused.

"Elsa." Anna repeated. When her friends continued to stare at her blankly, Anna sighed and began describing the blonde. "Tall, long platinum blonde hair in a single braid, 3rd year architecture student, loner."

"Ah." Flynn said in recognition. "The Ice Queen."

"Sorry… what?" Anna asked, confused.

"She went to the same high school as me." Flynn explained. "Most of what I heard was just rumours."

"What rumours?" Anna asked, her curiosity piquing.

"She's extremely introverted and cold." Flynn said. "I can vouch for the 'extremely introverted' part. Her family is crazy rich and powerful, like, Queen Elizabeth's royal family rich and powerful. And that she had a falling-out with her parents about their decisions after graduation." Anna opened her mouth to ask for more details, but Flynn quickly continued. "That's all I heard, and again, these are just rumours."

"Why the interest in this mysterious Elsa, Anna?" Punz asked, a knowing glint in her eyes.

"Just wanted to know…" Anna faltered for a brief moment. "Who I should avoid. Also, none of you answered my question. Why does Prof. Weasel have against Elsa?"

"Well… according to some of my new friends, Prof. Weselton expects students to regularly participate and ask questions in his class." Flynn said. "He dislikes those who pretend to be invisible, which Elsa has done for the 6 years of classes that we shared."

"So… we should participate in class and laugh at his offensive jokes." Anna summarised.

"Yes, unfortunately." Flynn confirmed.

The group continued to chat, share bad jokes, and laugh, and soon, everyone returned to their dorms to get some much needed rest. Anna, now alone with her thoughts, began to think about her mother. Tears began to flow as she imagined her mother alone in a once lively house, and Anna drifted off to sleep with tears running down her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> Someawe45- Thank you for reading our story and sticking with us so far. Once again, life has gotten busy and both Rias and I cannot write and publish as often as we'd like to, and we would like to apologise for our lack of activity. I myself am currently finishing summer courses in University (I do not recommend doing this for math or science courses) and life in general has been busy with everything that is going on. Once again, thank you for reading this story and thank you for your patience.


	4. Conceal, Don't Feel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This story contains mature themes, sexually explicit content, strong language and content that may offend.
> 
> This chapter contains mature themes and content that may offend.
> 
> A/N at the end.

_Earlier that day._

Elsa sat on the bench in Arendell Hall, directly across from classroom 302. She was always someone who arrived early, and spent some time before class viewing over the slides that the professor would go over. She scrolled through the slides and made notes in her notebook, unbothered by everything around her. _A model student._ Elsa thought bitterly. She excelled in her classes, and has earned the respect of several professors, as well as earning herself a job as a peer-tutor. _A failure of a daughter._ A brief flare of resentment distracted her. _Why can't my parents accept me for who I am?_ Elsa closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath, shoving down the storm of emotions building in her mind. _Conceal, Don't feel._ Elsa knew why her parents made the decision. Her job was to take over her family's business, and raise a family who she can pass the torch down when she inevitably can no longer do her job. This rationalization did little to smother her resentment. No matter what she did, what she achieved, it was never enough. Every achievement, whenever she expected to see pride in her parent's faces, she saw only bitter disappointment.

Elsa was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the commotion. Two students, freshmen it seemed, were rushing towards classroom 302. A honey-blonde with long flowing hair, and a freckled red-haired girl with her hair done in twin braids. Both were breathing hard and sweaty as they rushed into the classroom. Elsa shook her head in amusement, then looked at the time. 10 more minutes before class. Well, actually 20, since the professors only start 10 minutes after the hour. Elsa quickly finished her pre-class notes and walked into the classroom at 9:00 on the dot. She walked in and was met with the disapproving gaze of Professor Weselton, more commonly known as Professor Weasel. Elsa returned the gaze challengingly, holding her head high until the professor looked away a brief moment later, breaking eye-contact. She then turned to observe the seats in the classroom, noting that many students have not arrived yet. She scanned the seats and her blue eyes met the freckled redhead's teal eyes, who was staring at her intently. Elsa noticed the honey-blonde girl sitting next to the redhead and turned to the front of the room, walked over to one of the front seats and sat down. This was her usual spot to avoid both the attention of professors and other students. She opened her printed slides and waited for the professor to start.

"Good morning, everyone!" Professor Weselton spoke in his usual squeaky voice. "Welcome to ARC 100, Drawing and Representation 1. I am Professor Weselton and I'll be your professor for this course." Elsa sighed silently. She had hoped for another professor that did not care much about "participation" in class. As the professor began to drone on, Elsa diligently wrote notes in her notebook. As the class finally ended, Elsa quickly left the lecture hall, hoping that she wouldn't get stopped by classmates on her way out. Elsa fished out her phone and checked the time, 12:00, and decided to grab something to eat from the campus cafeteria. She paid for a simple sandwich and sat in her usual seat near the window and continued to compile notes for the class between bites of sandwich. As she copied notes down, she barely noticed someone setting a tray down across from her.

"Is this seat taken?" Asked the voice. Elsa glanced up and realized that this was the redhead from her class earlier that morning. She noticed that most of the other seats were occupied and nodded in assent, returning to her notes. The redhead clumsily sat down, knocking over her can of soda, which rolled towards Elsa before dropping off the table. Instinctively, she caught the soda and set it down beside the redhead's pizza.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I swear, I'm eternally clumsy. I hope I didn't bother you with that potential soda-grenade or anything. I mean, I would have died if any of the soda got on you or your notes or laptop or t-shirt. It would probably stain, right? Oh boy. What if it doesn't come out? Or what if your shirt shrinks? I could pay for it… probably. It looks expensive though so I would probably have to use my college money and mom wouldn't…" The redhead snapped her mouth shut, her cheeks reddening. "I'm sorry. I tend to ramble when I get nervous."

Elsa glanced at the redhead. "First year?" The redhead nodded. "Don't worry. It gets better." She said sympathetically.

The redhead smacked her palm against her forehead. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Anna." she stated as she extended her hand out towards Elsa. Elsa firmly grasped Anna's hand as she shook it.

"Elsa." She replied before returning to her notes, reading them over, then closing her laptop and putting it away in her bag.

"I'm sorry, considering that we just met and all, but can I borrow your notes? I got distracted and barely heard a thing professor Weaseltown said." Anna asked nervously. After a brief moment of hesitation, Elsa slid over her notebook and showed Anna the five pages of notes she wrote. Anna quickly snapped pictures, swiped at her phone a few times, then put her phone away. "Thanks. You have beautiful handwriting."

"Thank you." Elsa said after she swallowed a bite of her sandwich.

"What year are you in?"

"3rd. I'm majoring in Architecture and minoring in Art." Elsa replied.

"But ARC 100 is a first-year course…" Anna blurted out, confused.

"Many upper-year students take first-year courses. I had a logistics problem with my schedule, and I can only attend this class right now, in my 3rd year. It's not ideal, but it will allow me to graduate with the rest of my classmates." Elsa clarified. "What are you studying?"

"Psychology… for now." Anna said self-consciously. "I don't know what I want to do in the future… I may end up switching."

"Don't be afraid to. University is all about trying new things and finding out what you like." Elsa said encouragingly. She noticed that Anna's cheeks reddened at the comment.

"The only thing I know for sure is that I want to do is help people, but I don't know how. I thought that psychology would be the best route to go in order to help rehabilitate and talk with others who need help, but I'm so unsure. I can't seem to imagine myself anywhere, doing anything, or helping anyone. And that scares me the most, not being there to help people. There are so many people in the world who need help but are unable to find it." Anna replied, her eyes beginning to water.

"Are you alright?" Elsa asked, concerned as she reached into her bag and pulled out a to-go packet of tissues. She took one out and handed it to Anna, which she took and began dabbing at her eyes.

"Not really." Anna admitted. "It's just… It's all overwhelming." Anna said. "Being so far away from home, you know?"

"I don't." Elsa said tensely. _A failure of a daughter._ Her father's voice echoed through her mind.

"Wait, what?" Anna asked, shocked. "You don't miss your home? Your family?"

"I've never had the best relationship with my parents. So after I left, I've never looked back." Elsa struggled to keep her resentment out of her voice. _Not a worthy successor._

Both of them immediately fell silent until a wide-eyed boy with short brown hair enveloped Elsa in a hug. "Hi Elsa!"

"Olaf!" Elsa chided with a smile, momentarily forgetting her own turmoil. "How are you?"

"Oh I'm just living the dream." Olaf said cheerily, sighing blissfully before turning towards Anna, his arms still outstretched and seeming to refuse to lower them until their needs were satisfied. "Hi, I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs." Elsa smiled, remembering that she met Olaf in a similar manner. On the first day of classes two years ago, Elsa sat in the exact same spot, anxious and alone, until Olaf approached her with a hug. He quickly became Elsa's best friend, and perhaps, her only true friend.

Awkwardly, Anna unfurled her own arms and met the almost snowman-esque male in a soft but cautious hug. That was until he pulled Anna closer to him, encapsulating her in a bear-like hug. Elsa giggled slightly at the sight of Olaf pushing the boundaries of what he would be able to get away with when it came to the new freshman. Finally, Olaf released his grip on Anna and let her get back to her slice of pizza before sitting down next to Elsa. Elsa watched the exchange longingly, a strange feeling emerging from her chest.

"Um...I'm Anna." Anna stated, before taking her first bite of the pizza she had bought. Immediately, Anna groaned at the cold and slightly harder dough of the pizza, setting it down. "Hey Olaf, do you think you could use some of those warm hugs you love so much to reheat my pizza? I don't like the taste of cold pizza, which is surprising since I love ice cream and a lot of other cold products and foods."

Olaf burst out laughing at Anna's joking request, Elsa was unable to contain her amusement as she hid a small set of giggles behind her hand. Anna, confused, tilted her head. "What is so funny? Is there something on my face?" Anna questioned. Elsa studied Anna's face, only now realizing how beautiful Anna was.

Finally Olaf spoke. "I must say Els, I was worried you may not find anyone, but man. You sure know how to pick them. I mean, with jokes like that, she's a keeper." He commented, a visible blush appearing on both Anna and Elsa's faces as their laughter died in an instant. Anna turned to Elsa to ask what he meant, both of their faces red, but was promptly silenced as they locked eyes before Elsa speedily turned away.

"I...I should probably go. I have a class I need to go to." Elsa lied as she packed up the rest of her belongings and left the table, her face burning and her heart racing. She walked quickly to put some distance between Anna and herself. Elsa ducked into the closest washroom and checked her reflection on the mirror, her cheeks still visibly flushed, the strange sensation in her chest growing stronger. _Stop it!_ Elsa scolded herself. _Conceal, don't feel!_ Elsa took deep breaths, which did little to suppress her feelings. _This is unladylike, Elsa._ Her father's words sent a chill down her spine. _You shouldn't feel this way towards other women. It is unnatural._ Elsa glanced in the mirror to look over her shoulder, and there her father stood, a disapproving gaze on his face. Her heart skipped a beat, and Elsa froze in fear. She blinked several times and glanced behind her, relieved that she was alone. Elsa took a deep, calming breath, splashed cold water on her face, dried it off, and walked out of the bathroom.

"Are you alright, Elsa?" Olaf asked just as Elsa left the bathroom.

Elsa, startled, nearly dropped her textbooks, and looked around worriedly until she saw Olaf. "I'm fine, Olaf." She said shakily.

"Uh huh." Olaf said, unconvinced. Wordlessly, Olaf enveloped Elsa in a warm hug, soothingly rubbing her back as Elsa clutched at Olaf. He was the only one that Elsa trusted enough to share her past. Olaf was surprisingly sympathetic to Elsa, even when she trusted him with her darkest secret: her sexuality. The two eventually parted and Elsa beelined straight to her apartment. Alone with her thoughts and her notes, her mind began to wander to her parents.

Her parents refused to accept the fact that she was not interested in a relationship with other males. She told her parents in the final year of high school, near the end of the year, and things only went downhill from there. Her parents attempted to find anyone who would be able to "fix" her daughter. When no-one would help them, much to her parents' dismay, they decided to arrange Elsa's marriage with Hans Westergaard, the youngest of 12 sons, so that no-one would know about the scandal of Elsa's sexuality.

Westergaard International was a family company founded by the Westergaard family when Elsa's ancestors settled in Arendelle. The two families benefited from their partnership and became the more influential families in Arendelle. _Hans wouldn't be the worst husband._ Elsa thought bitterly. _He's handsome, caring, and ambitious. Everything my parents wanted from me, but never got._

Her cellphone rang, snapping Elsa out of her thoughts. _LET IT GOOOOO! LET IT GO!_ Elsa scowled, and rejected the call without looking at the caller ID. She didn't need to. Her father always called at this time, doing what he claims is a "welfare check" but they both knew that her father was trying to "fix" what he thought was a problem with Elsa. In desperate need of a distraction, Elsa headed out. As she mindlessly walked down the streets of Arendelle, her stomach rumbled. She checked the time on her phone. 6:15. _Might as well get dinner._ Elsa walked into the cafeteria, bought a simple salad, and sat in her usual spot.

As Elsa ate her dinner, Elsa noticed the honey-blonde girl from her first class that day, kissing a bearded man a few years older than her while two freshmen, football jockeys from the look of their uniforms, averted their gazes. Suddenly, a redhead with twin braids rushed into the cafeteria and quickly, albeit clumsily, sat down with the group. Elsa covered her mouth to stifle the laughter that threatened to escape her. Anna was as adorable and clumsy as when they first met. As Elsa stared at the back of Anna's head, she realized that seeing Anna happy was enough to raise her own spirits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Someawe45- Hi guys, and thanks once again for reading our story so far. I don't know if you guys noticed (hopefully you didn't), but this is my first time writing anything with two perspectives. Thus, this chapter/writing style is proper new territory for me. As of today, August 24, 2020, I will be starting school soon, so activity may be limited. Hope you enjoyed and once again, thank you for your continued patience. As usual, feedback and criticism is appreciated.
> 
> RiasSenpaiBae- Hello as well, like Someawe said, Thank You for reading. We appreciate that more people are starting to read this story and enjoy it. We hope that you will continue to follow it as it continues and feel free to leave a review. We appreciate any comments and fixes that could possibly be made (we won't be able to fix a lot of them though). And as Someawe said, this dual perspective narrative is new to both of us. So we are bound to make mistakes. Thank you for reading and hope you enjoy.


	5. Into The Unknown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N (the rest is at the end):
> 
> As explained in chapter 2 in the Author's notes, Anna's mom is suffering from Creutzfeldt Jakob's Disease. Symptoms include: difficulty speaking, muscle stiffness, twitches and involuntary jerky movements, and problems with memory, thinking, planning and judgment.
> 
> Warning: this chapter contains sensitive topics (including implied suicide or self-harm) and mature themes. Reader discretion is advised.

_Beep!_ The dial tone rang loudly from her cellphone as Anna anxiously waited for her mother to pick up. _What if something happened to her?_ Anna's thoughts became more panicked with every passing moment. _Beep!_ Anna began fidgeting with the snowflake pendant given to her as a parting gift. _What if she's already dead?_ Anna clutched at her chest, barely holding back tears as she realized that one day in the near future, their next conversation would be their last.

Just when Anna couldn't hold back her tears any longer, the sound of a phone being picked up snapped her out of her thoughts. "H-hello? Wh-Who is this?"

"Hi mom!" Anna said enthusiastically, trying to hide that she was on the verge of tears just moments before. "How have you been?"

"Y-y-you must be m-mistaken." Iduna replied shakily. "I-I don't h-have a d-d-daughter." _Click!_ The line went dead, leaving Anna stunned. She tried to call back several times, but no one picked up. Anna collapsed into her bed, tears rolling down her face as she struggled to process what just happened. _My mom didn't disown me! She wasn't herself._ Anna tried to rationalize. _You abandoned her. You left her to die._ Another part of her mind screamed. Anna clutched at her head as the two sides argued with each other. It was too much.

"AAUGH!" Anna shouted angrily. "JUST GIVE ME A _FUCKING_ BREAK!" Anna grabbed the nearest object, which happened to be an empty binder, and threw it at the wall with all of her strength. _Fsh-thud!_ The binder bounced off the wall harmlessly and crashed to the floor. "WHY!?" Anna screamed as she pounded her fists into the wall. "Why is this happening to me?" Anna asked no one in particular as sobs wracked her body, her anger replaced with grief, her energy spent.

Suddenly, the door to her bedroom swung open. Punz, taking a moment to assess the situation, walked up to Anna and enveloped her in a comforting hug. "Shh… shh… it's okay." Punz said softly as she soothingly rubbed Anna's back while Anna sobbed into her shoulder. "What happened?" Anna didn't answer. "Was it about your mom?" Anna nodded weakly. "Do you want to talk about it?" Anna subtly shook her head. "Don't say you're fine, Anna." Punz warned. "I know you aren't."

Anna took a deep breath and pushed herself off of Punz slightly. "I just called my mom… or tried to." Anna's eyes began to water again as the pain re-emerged, her lips trembling. "S-She didn't even know who I-I am a-an-anymore." Punz felt her own heart breaking, but the next words she heard made her blood run cold. "I-I don't des-deserve to be here. I a-abandoned her. I left her to d-d-die." Anna continued to speak, but her words were no longer coherent enough for Punz to understand.

"Anna?" Punz asked cautiously, knowing the implications of Anna's words. Anna refused to meet Punz's gaze. "Anna!" Punz's said more forcefully, causing Anna to stop her incoherent rambling and meet Punz's gaze. "This wasn't your mother." Punz said, slowly and calmly, making sure that Anna heard every word. "This isn't your fault. Your mother made her choice to send you here. You didn't abandon her. You are fulfilling one of her requests. You are living your life." Anna opened her mouth to interject, but Punz didn't give her the chance. "She didn't recognize your voice on the phone, that's all. Your mother is extremely caring and kind, like you, and I know for a fact that she wouldn't disown you for something she forced you to do."

Anna nodded, and sobbed for a few more moments. "Wait… what time is it?" Anna asked frantically. "Don't you have class?

"Anna, worry about yourself for once." Punz said. "It's 8:30 in the morning. I don't have classes today."

"I only have one class at 7 tonight. So… what are we doing for today?" Anna said, relieved.

"I was going to get us some breakfast, but I think there's some more urgent matters that we need to take care of first." Punz said seriously.

"I'm sorry if I woke you up." Anna said sincerely when she realized that Punz was still in her pajamas, her hair messy. "It won't happen again."

"That's not the problem." Punz said cautiously. "You know what? I'm gonna be direct. You need help, Anna. Professional help."

"I'm fine, Punz. Really." Anna said half-heartedly. "I will be, at least."

"I was really worried, Anna." Punz's voice shook. Anna met Punz's worried look, realizing that Punz was on the verge of tears. "You said, and I quote, 'I don't deserve to be here'. Think about it. Can you understand why I was so worried?"

As Anna thought, Punz waited patiently. _What_ _ **did**_ _I mean? I meant that I didn't belong here, in Arendelle University while my mom is suffering._ Anna rubbed her temples as she continued thinking. ' _Don't do something you'll regret.'_ Punz's voice said. ' _I don't belong here'_ Anna thought for a few more moments before her face went slack with shock. "I'm not considering suicide or self-harm, Punz! I swear! What I meant by 'I don't belong here' was 'I don't belong in Arendelle University while my mom is suffering', not 'I don't belong in this world'!"

"T-That's good to know. It was kind of hard to tell with the other things you've said." Punz said, slightly relieved. "But you're having trouble coping, Anna. You need help."

Anna sighed in defeat. "You're right. So… what now?"

"Get dressed. Clean up." Punz said. "We're going to the campus's medical center."

"Punz… you don't have to." Anna said guiltily.

"Please, Anna." Punz said, her voice shaky. "Just get ready." Anna nodded. She quickly showered, dried off her hair, brushed her teeth, combed her hair and threw on some clean clothes. As she waited for Punz to finish getting ready, she drank some water, only now realizing how dehydrated she was. A few moments later, Punz called out to Anna, and the two left for the medical center after ensuring that Anna had the necessary items.

The medical center looked like a standard doctor's office, and they were the only ones there. Punz promptly walked up to the receptionist before Anna could chicken out. "Hi there. Is the doctor available? My friend Anna would need a consultation. We don't have an appointment."

"Do you have your health card with you, dear?" The receptionist was a lady in her late 40s and spoke with a kindly voice.

"Yep. I do." Anna nervously handed over her health card. The receptionist clicked and moved her mouse a few times and studied the screen before handing Anna's healthcare back to her.

"He should be available right now. He'll call you in shortly." The receptionist said kindly. "You look nervous." She observed.

"Is it that obvious?" Anna asked, shocked. "Well, yeah, it's my first time going to the doctor's office alone in a new place. Well, technically not alone since I have my best friend Punz here with me, but I'm not sure that non-family members are allowed in the consulting room with the patient and there's a lot of things going on and…" Anna snapped her mouth shut, her cheeks reddening with embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I tend to ramble when I get nervous."

"Don't worry. We get that alot. I'm glad you brought your friend here." The receptionist said reassuringly. "As for your friend, you are an adult now. You can make these choices on your own."

An aging male emerged from the hallway, wearing a white doctor's coat over his green dress shirt and jeans, a stethoscope hanging off of his neck. "Anna Kristian?" he called out.

"That's me." Anna answered.

"I'm Dr. Pabbie. Please, come in." Dr. Pabbie said, ushering the two into a consultation room. "Please, sit." Punz walked over and sat in the seat further away from Dr. Pabbie, giving Anna an encouraging squeeze on the arm as she sat down beside the doctor. "Before we begin, I need to ask you some questions. Are you alright with that?"

"Of course." Anna answered, relaxed at Dr. Pabbie's kind voice.

"When was your last visit to a doctor, other than in this office?"

"About 2 months ago. Standard annual checkup."

"Do you have any pre-existing health conditions or problems I should know about?"

"None that I am aware of."

"Do you smoke, drink, or take any recreational drugs?"

"I do not, if you don't count the occasional sip of wine at family dinners."

"Are you sexually active?"

"No." Anna felt heat rising to her cheeks at the routine question.

"Okay, one last question." Pabbie said as he finished typing out the previous responses on his computer. "Does your family have any medical history of health conditions or problems?"

"My mom has CJD." Anna answered sadly. "She has less than six months to live."

"I'm sorry." Dr. Pabbie said sympathetically as he typed in the information. Finally, he finished typing and turned his full attention to Anna. "So, what brought you here today?"

Anna looked down sadly, trying to gather her thoughts. She felt her eyes beginning to water, and before she could find the words, Punz spoke up. "I brought her here because I think she's having trouble dealing with the fact that her mom could die in less than 6 months. Yesterday, I saw her crying in her car, looking like she was going to do something reckless before I talked to her, and just this morning, she's been screaming and crying and punching the wall. I'm concerned for her wellbeing." Punz explained. She took a deep breath. "I brought her here because I fear she might have thought of suicide or self-harm, or will be thinking of them."

"Is this true?" Dr. Pabbie asked for confirmation.

Anna nodded. "Except for the suicide or self-harm, everything's true. I feel… helpless… distracted…" Anna was unsure of how to continue.

"Anna has been blaming herself for her mom's health." Punz explained. "As of this morning, Anna's mom didn't recognize her voice and hung up on her." Suddenly, Punz's phone rang. "I'm sorry, but I need to take this." Punz said, smiling apologetically as she stepped outside.

"How are you doing so far?" Dr. Pabbie asked, concerned.

"Not well." Anna admitted. "I feel like I should be at home, taking care of mom, not being here so far from home. My mother insisted that I shouldn't worry about her, but it feels so wrong, abandoning my mom like that. I feel like this is my fault that she is suffering. I should at least be at home to care for her."

"That is perfectly normal, Anna." Dr. Pabbie said in a soothing voice. "It is not your fault that she is suffering from CJD." Noticing Anna's unconvinced expression, Dr. Pabbie sighed deeply. "If you'd like, I can refer you to a nearby psychiatrist. I strongly suggest getting professional help from someone qualified before things spiral out of control."

"Thank you." Anna said gratefully.

"Now, there is something else that is quite urgent." Dr. Pabbie said solemnly. "CJD can be inherited genetically, and you should consider getting tested."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> RiasSenpaiBae- Sorry for the long delay. Me and Someawe had to take a short hiatus because we just didn't have any time to write. Unfortunately, Someawe is still stuck without any time to write. But I have a lot more time and will try to post as often as I am able. That may mean that the time in between chapter releases may increase from our attempt of posting a chapter every 2 weeks. But we appreciate your willingness to stick with us through our chaotic posting and that you enjoy our story.


End file.
